Winter gardening, and how to beat Gardener's Winter Blues

[oregonkat]

You can braid as many as you want. It works with soft neck varieties because you can bend the dried stems. The hard necks, obviously dont bend!
Here is a pic of one of the braids that I did this summer. I had hoped that the seaspray flowers would hold their color but they didn't. Next year I'll go back to using everlastings as they are beautiful in braids and hold their color really well.

 

[Fluffy&Cutie]

You can braid as many as you want. It works with soft neck varieties because you can bend the dried stems. The hard necks, obviously dont bend!
Here is a pic of one of the braids that I did this summer. I had hoped that the seaspray flowers would hold their color but they didn't. Next year I'll go back to using everlastings as they are beautiful in braids and hold their color really well.
View attachment 1537539

it s breath taking. i especially love the tiny flowers. what types are soft neck?

 

[oregonkat]

it s breath taking. i especially love the tiny flowers. what types are soft neck?

Thank you, they are so easy to do, really! Garlics are divided into two categories. Hard and Soft neck. The soft necks tend to store longer and have, at least mine do, a slightly hotter flavor to them. Hard necks do not store as long but mine tend to be more robust in the garlic flavor. Usually folks really don't seem to notice, they say they just taste like garlic! Anyway, you can look up on different garlic sites and they will tell you which varieties are which.
The garlic used for this braid is Susanville. I've grown it for years and like it very much. I am planting Inchellium Red and Viola Francese this year, in fact this week, to increase my soft necks for next year.

 

[Marmalade25]

Beautiful garlic braid. I'm beginning to fully appreciate natural and functional things in the home like this. And also, the joy of gifting something that you grew.

I got my carrots in the ground and they look good, but I'm guessing overcrowded. I know it's late, but I finally planted lettuce, kale, and spinach to see how they do. I figure a few dollars for seeds is a very cheap education to figure out how to do this. Really not sure if and how I will end up covering them yet.
Amazingly my flowers did much better than my veggies this summer, to the point that I was able to sell some. It was a struggly to grow much food, so I feel a little discouraged by that at the moment. Swiss chard did great and so I'm hoping to get some greens out of this late planting too.

 

[oregonkat]

Beautiful garlic braid. I'm beginning to fully appreciate natural and functional things in the home like this. And also, the joy of gifting something that you grew.

I got my carrots in the ground and they look good, but I'm guessing overcrowded. I know it's late, but I finally planted lettuce, kale, and spinach to see how they do. I figure a few dollars for seeds is a very cheap education to figure out how to do this. Really not sure if and how I will end up covering them yet.
Amazingly my flowers did much better than my veggies this summer, to the point that I was able to sell some. It was a struggly to grow much food, so I feel a little discouraged by that at the moment. Swiss chard did great and so I'm hoping to get some greens out of this late planting too.

Don't be discouraged, it does take a little while to understand the likes and dislikes of your particular space and soil. Did you give your soil some amending nutrients? I would recommend putting some kind of repellent, either Diatomaceous earth or some other kind of organic stuff down around your little seedlings. Slugs and earwigs are quite active in the fall and it is so distressing to get out in the morning and find that some little monster has devoured your seedlings.
Glad your flowers did well. I used to sell my flowers at market several years ago and it is a wonderful little business. Lilies, lots and lots of them, just beautiful!
If you want to do garlic for next year, now is the time to plant it. You could even just pop in some from a bulb from the store just for an experiment!

 

[Fluffy&Cutie]

You can braid as many as you want. It works with soft neck varieties because you can bend the dried stems. The hard necks, obviously dont bend!
Here is a pic of one of the braids that I did this summer. I had hoped that the seaspray flowers would hold their color but they didn't. Next year I'll go back to using everlastings as they are beautiful in braids and hold their color really well.
View attachment 1537539

hello again! i planted a ton of garlic, lol! i was just wondering around what month do they come into harvest? and do i need to dry them or braid them as soon as harvested? and...do you plant the smaller cloves or just the larger ones?
thanks for your advice and inspiration.

 

[oregonkat]

hello again! i planted a ton of garlic, lol! i was just wondering around what month do they come into harvest? and do i need to dry them or braid them as soon as harvested? and...do you plant the smaller cloves or just the larger ones?
thanks for your advice and inspiration.

Well, as you are in one of the warmer locations in the country, I'm guessing a zone 9 - 10 right? You may find that your garlic is ready to harvest much earlier than mine. I harvest in August and plant in October but you may find that you are harvesting in June maybe but I am not positive. You might want to check out any other neighbors who are growing garlic or contact your extension service. As to the cloves, I plant all sizes. I break apart the bulbs and pretty much everyone gets planted except maybe the really skinny tiny ones because they only produce a small bulb.
Dont forget that you may get 'scapes', the lovely twisted flower spikes that come up as the bulb develops. Cut these off and use them in your cooking, they are delicious!

Let me know what you find out about your harvest dates, I would be interested to know how different we are!

 

[oregonkat]

Oh, and as to the 'curing' process. You must cure the bulbs after harvesting them. This involves nothing more than either hanging them (the whole plant, DO NOT cut off the greens before curing) or putting them in a plastic crate to dry. They must have good ventilation out of the sun. Curing takes about 2 weeks and then you can either braid them if they are softneck varieties or just cut the stalks for hardnecks.

 

[Fluffy&Cutie]

Well, as you are in one of the warmer locations in the country, I'm guessing a zone 9 - 10 right? You may find that your garlic is ready to harvest much earlier than mine. I harvest in August and plant in October but you may find that you are harvesting in June maybe but I am not positive. You might want to check out any other neighbors who are growing garlic or contact your extension service. As to the cloves, I plant all sizes. I break apart the bulbs and pretty much everyone gets planted except maybe the really skinny tiny ones because they only produce a small bulb.
Dont forget that you may get 'scapes', the lovely twisted flower spikes that come up as the bulb develops. Cut these off and use them in your cooking, they are delicious!

Let me know what you find out about your harvest dates, I would be interested to know how different we are!

thanks so much!!! i ll keep you posted! happy autumn!

 

[CapricornFarm]

The time to start greens for winter enjoyment is in July and at the latest, August.

Why? When weather gets colder, and more importantly days are shorter and angle of the sun changes, those veggies tend to go dormant. If you are planning on having a cold frame or green house full of luxurious greens for salads through the winter, you want to have good sized plants before everything in your garden gets killed by frost.

I guess i am way late to plant for winter. Been really busy building hutches and coops.